Fairness @ Work Plays of the Week Issue 5

Welcome to Plays of the Week - a weekly heads up from the Council of Trade Unions Fairness @ Work campaign.  Tips, tools and news to help you start worksite conversations each week about the real stories this election.  Print off or forward 'Plays of the Week' to workmates, family and friends, and better still let them know they can sign up for it from the CTU website.

Gap between rich and poor goes down
The gap between rich and poor shrunk for the first time since 1988 according to a new social report out last week.  The report also said there were improvements in health and education, and a reduction in poverty.  But housing affordability has gotten worse, and there is still a gap in social outcomes for Maori and Pacific peoples, compared to the rest of the population.

Survey shows value of 20 Hours Free
A new survey on early childhood education (ECE) has reinforced the value of the government’s 20 Hours Free Policy, saying the policy is improving family budgets and allowing children to participate more fully in early childhood education.  Almost all families made savings because of Free ECE, with half of parents saving more than $40 per week. Parents talked about the greater accessibility of early childhood education, the help with family finances and the positive impact on family lives. 

Did you know?
Did you know that in 2007, 13% of the population were living in households with incomes below the poverty threshold of 60% of median income, down from 22% in 1997.  13% of households in poverty is still 13% too many, but the numbers are coming down.

What's happening 
Unions Wellington is supporting a meet-the-candidates meeting this Wednesday at 12 noon at Victoria University, and later in the month Unions Canterbury are hosting their own election meeting also.  More details are here: http://union.org.nz/event/election.

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